Clare Smyth named as the World's Best Female Chef

Clare Smyth MBE has been named the world's best female chef. 

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Clare Smyth MBE, owner of Core, has been named as the elit® Vodka World’s Best Female Chef in the world’s 50 best restaurants 2018, it has been announced today.

Clare who is the only woman in the UK to ever to hold three Michelin stars has been named the best female chef in the world after topping a poll of more than 1,000 experts to win the title of ‘World’s Best Female Chef’. She is also the first British woman to be awarded this prestigious accolade.  

Accepting the prestigious accolade, Clare said: “It’s an absolute honour to receive the elit® Vodka World’s Best Female Chef Award, particularly as the category is voted for by my peers and
international food experts. This accolade is not for me but for all the women working in the hospitality industry around the world. I hope to use this platform to encourage and mentor more
women to achieve success.”

William Drew, Group Editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: “We are proud and excited to announce Clare Smyth as this year’s World’s Best Female Chef. Her devotion to her craft, uncompromising standards and undoubted culinary finesse are just three of the reasons why she is worthy of this award.

"Clare’s passion for the industry and her positive attitude towards equality in the kitchen similarly inspires us all. She is the perfect role model to show aspiring young chefs what can be achieved with hard work, patience, dedication and exceptional talent.”

Clare who was previously chef patron of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea is originally from Northern Ireland and moved to England at the tender age of 16 to attend catering college. She has also worked for Alain Ducasse in Monaco, but spent most of her career working for Gordon Ramsey where she joined as a chef de partie rising to the position of senior sous chef in three short years.

Using her experience with Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse, Clare opened her first restaurant Core by Clare Smyth in Autumn 2017. Clare’s restaurant which is renowned for its fine dining also celebrates the best of British. Clare says: “British produce is better than it has ever been with chefs ­working closely with producers, which is driving the quality higher and higher.”

Having previously spoken to The Staff Canteen, Clare told us why she had named the restaurant Core. Clare explains: “With it being my first solo venture and very close to my heart, it wasn’t easy deciding what to call the restaurant, but ‘Core’ seemed right; it’s a seed of something new, with strong ties to nature.”

Core by Clare Smyth is situated in the heart of Notting Hill in London and is a modern fine dining restaurant with a strong British ethos, where guests can relax in an elegant, relaxed interior. Core was named this week as the winner of the Best Restaurant in the GQ Food and Drink Awards.